HMS Queen Elizabeth makes first departure from Portsmouth

The Royal Navy’s new £3bn aircraft carrier has sailed out of Portsmouth for the first time.HMS Queen Elizabeth was unable to leave port last week because of bad weather and continuing engineering work.It left its mooring in its home port for a second series of sea trials shortly after 12:00 GMT.The 65,000-tonne ship arrived in Portsmouth in August after leaving Rosyth in Fife, where it was built, in June.
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Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), which operates the ship, said the sea trials would be testing the vessel’s radar and communications systems, power and propulsion as well as monitoring air flow patterns around the flight deck.The 900ft-long (280m) carrier cannot currently deploy planes but flying trials are due to begin next year.Preparations for the arrival of the future flagship of the fleet, and its 700 crew, saw more than 20,000 items ranging from a human skull to sea mines dredged from Portsmouth Harbour.